Carding apparatus



July 29, 1941. s. F. ROCKWELL, JR

CARDING APPARATUS Filed Aug. 2; 1940 lnv enTof. Samuel Forbes Rockwel! U1: I byw I am Atrys.

Patented July 29, 1941 CARDING APPARATUS v Samuel Forbes Rockwell, Jr., North Andover, Mass, assignor to Davis & Furber Machine Company, North Andover, Mass., a corporation of Massachusetts Application August 2, 1940, Serial No. 349,887

' 6 Claims. (01. 19-99) This invention relates to an apparatus for carding staple artificial fibre or a mixture of fibres containing a large proportion of such artificial staple A fibre. Artificial fibre, whether manufactured from reconstituted cellulose or from organic derivatives of cellulose or from other materials, is produced in filamentary form and is cut or broken into staple length with the mass of fibre usually presenting lumps or bundles of the cut or broken filaments. While the carding operation upon a mass of fibre composed wholly or principally of such out filaments has for one object the partial parallelization of the fibres, this object-is obtained without much difiiculty owing to the nature of the fibre. The main object of the carding operation is to effect a thorough mixture of the fibre and produce a web of uniform weight throughout so that the resulting yarn may be homogeneous and of uniform weight.

The present invention has for its object to secure these results and with an apparatus much smaller in size and less costly than employed in the carding of other fibres.

The invention has for its further object to provide an apparatus in which there shall be a minimum amount of working of the fibre during the carding operation and consequently a minimum amount of injury of the fibre.

The nature and objects of the invention will be more fully set forth in the accompanying description and drawing and defined by the claims.

Since the elements of carding apparatus and the function and operation of these elements have long been well known and familiar to those skilled in the textile art, it is unnecessary in connection with this invention to illustrate but a few specific details of construction. The drawing, therefore, is mainly of a diagrammatic nature and is fully sufiicient for a complete understanding of the invention.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of an apparatus embodying a simple and preferred form of the invention.

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the discharging end of the apparatus.

Fig. 3 is a view in side elevation of a worker and stripper unit and adjacent portion of main cylinder.

The apparatus comprises essentially a breaker card, a finisher card and an intermediate feed of that type which lays the web transversely of the finisher card. The breaker card of the apparatus mayr'be fed from any suitable hopper or web feeder and such a feeder is indicated at I. So also the final web discharged from the apparatus may be discharged in any of the well-known ways, that is, onto a ring dofier, onto a tape condenser, or into one or a plurality of can coilers.

While but one breaker card and one finisher card are illustrated,-it is obvious that either or both of these may be repeated if necessary, although it is desirable not to work the fibre more than necessary to secure the required thorough blending and uniformity of weight.

The web from the breaker card 2, as previously pointed out, is taken by an intermediate feed to the finisher card 3. Any suitable intermediate feed such as the broad band feed or the well-known Apperley feed which lays the web transversely of the finisher card may be employed for this purpose and is indicated diagrammatically at 4. This type of feed is necessary in order to insure the thorough mixing of the fibres.

The breaker card 2 comprises the usual feed rolls 5, a plurality of lickerins, herein illustrated as two 6 and l, and adjacent divider rolls as 8 and 9, a main cylinder I!) with a minimum number of worker and stripper units and a doffer cylinder H. Two worker units are illustrated, the first comprising a worker l2 and stripper l3 and the second a worker 14 and stripper 15. No provision for burr cleaning is necessary because artificial staple fibre contains no burrs, although it does contain the lumps or bundles of cut filament already referred to.

The mass of fibre is delivered from the belt it of the feeder I to the feed rolls 5 and passes therefrom to the first lickerin 6. From thence it is transferred with the assistance of the divider rolls to the secondlickerin l and from thence to the main cylinder It. The object of the divider rolls is to effect the division of the larger lumps or bundles of fibre so that these lumps or bundles will be thoroughly broken up. To effect this, the likerins and the plurality of divider rolls are carefully adjusted so as to cause the first likerin 6 to transfer a fraction of the thickness of the largest lumps or bundles of fibre directly to the second lickerin l and the remainder to the first divider roll 8. This divider roll in turn transfers a fraction of the thickness of the bundle or lump received'by it directly to the second lickerin 1 and the remainder to the next divider roll and so on. I With the particular arrangement illustrated, the adjustment would preferably be such that substantially one-third of the thickness of the lump or bundle of fibre would be transferred directly'from the first lickerin 6 to the second lickerin l, two-thirds of the thickness would be transferred from the first lickerin 6 to the first divider roll 8, and then one-third of the thickness would be transferred directly from the divider roll ii to the lickerin 1 and the other third from the divider roll 8 to the divider roll 9 and therefrom to the likerin 1. This arrangement of a plurality of divider rolls and lickerins is one feature which insures a thorough mixing of the fibres.

From the second lickerin I the fibre passes to the main cylinder I0. Since the blending of the fibres rather than the carding is the predominant object, a small number of worker and stripper units is sufficient and this enables the main cylinder to be made of small diameter and thus keep the space between the worker and stripper units small so that there is a minimum opportunity for loss of fibre by being blown or thrown off in the spaces between the worker and stripper units. Two worker and stripper units will usually be found sufiicient and that number is illustrated. The first unit composed of the worker l2 and the stripper l3 cooperates with the main cylinder Ill in the usual manner. In the second or final worker and stripper unit the stripper I5 is placed after the worker l4 and its main function is to raise the fibre from the main cylinder and enable it to be taken in loose form directly to the doffer cylinder I I.

The finisher card 3 operates on the same principle as the breaker card but does not require the more elaborate arrangement of lickerins and divider rolls because the fibre at this stage is more evenly mixed. The finisher card is shown with the usual feed rolls IT to which the web is delivered in transverse folds from the feed belt iii of the intermediate feed. The feed rolls discharge the web onto the lickerin l9 and from there, with the aid of a divider roll 20, it passes to the main cylinder 2|. The main cylinder is provided, as in the case of the breaker card, with a minimum number of worker and stripper units and is thus again made of small size and with small spaces at its periphery so that fibre cannot be blown or thrown off and lost. The worker 22 and stripper 23 of the first unit shown work in the usual manner. In the case of the second unit, the stripper 24 follows the worker 25 so as again to raise the fibre from the main cylinder and enable it to be taken in loose form directly by the doffer cylinder 26.

From the doffer cylinder the web, as already noted, may be discharged in various ways. It is herein shown as divided into sections to be fed to a plurality of can coilers. To effect the separation of the web, the invention provides a construction illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2. A plurality of separator blades 21 are freely pivoted at 28 above the dofier cylinder and are curved around back of the dofier cylinder and hang freely between it and the main cylinder. These blades are of thin metal and of narrow width and act to divide the web into a plurality of sections 29 each suitable for forming a sliver or roving to be taken by a can coiler.

The main cylinder in each card is covered with Garnett wire, thus avoiding the use of a fancy, and preferably all the rolls are covered with Garnett wire which makes the card selfcleaning and thus enables batches of different kinds or colors of fibre to be carded in succession without interfering the one with the other. In Fig. 3 a portion of the main cylinder l0 of the breaker card and the worker l2 and stripper l3 are illustrated covered with Garnett wire 30.

The apparatus of this invention produces a very high degree of blending and an even distribution of weight in the carding of artificial staple fibre or a mixture composed principally thereof. The discharged Web is almost completely free from neps or tangles and has the appearance of a comb sliver with the fibres well parallelized. Consequently in subsequent processes not as many doublings are required as is customary in order to obtain uniformity in weight and color or kind of fibre in the yarn and subsequent combing operations which are required in most types of work are eliminated.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new, and desired to be secured by Letters Patent, is:

1. Carding apparatus for fibre composed wholly or principally of staple artificial fibre comprising a breaker card; a finisher card; an intermediate feed of the type laying the web transversely of the finisher card; the breaker card having a first and a secondlickerin; each card having a main cylinder, a doffer cylinder, and a small number of worker and stripper units as compared with those in standard cards and with the diameter of the main cylinder such as to leave, between the lickerin and the first worker and stripper unit and between the worker and stripper units, spaces insufiicient for material loss of fibre by being blown off; the breaker card having a plurality of divider rolls acting upon the thicker lumps of the fibre to cause the first lickerin to transfer a fraction of the thickness directly to the second lickerin and the remainder to the first divider roll and the first divider roll to transfer a fraction of the thickness received by it directly to the second lickerin and the remainder to the next divider roll and so on with the final fraction transferred directly from the last divider roll to the second lickerin; whereby a thorough and uniform mixture of the fibres and a web of uniform weight are secured with a minimum amount of working.

2. Caroling apparatus for fibre composed wholly or principally of staple artificial fibre comprising the construction defined in claim 1, in which the stripper of the last worker and stripper unit in each of the cards is located after its worker and rotates in a direction opposite to that of the main cylinder and acts to raise the fibre from the main cylinder and enable it to be taken in loose form directly by the dofier cylinder.

3. Carding apparatus for fibre composed wholly or principally of staple artificial fibre comprising the construction defined in claim 1, together wit hsepartaor blades extending vertically between the main and doffer cylinders acting to divide the web as it passes from the main cylinder onto the dofler cylinder into a plurality of sections.

4. Carding apparatus for fibre composed wholly or principally of staple artificial fibre comprising the construction defined in claim 1, together with curved separator blades pivotally mounted above the dofi'er cylinder and hanging freely between the main and doffer cylinders acting to divide the web as it passes from the main cylinder onto the doffer cylinder into a plurality of sections.

5. Carding apparatus for fibre composed wholly or principally of staple artificial fibre comprising a breaker card; a finisher card; an

intermediate feed of the type laying the web transversely of the finisher card; the breaker card having a first and a second lickerin; each card having a main cylinder, a doffer cylinder, and only two Worker and stripper units and with the diameter of the main cylinder such as to leave, between the lickerin and the first Worker and stripper unit and between the worker and stripper units, spaces insufficient for material loss of fibre by being blown off; the breaker card having two divider rolls acting upon the thicker lumps of the fibre to cause the first lickerin to transfer substantially one-third of the thickness directly to the second lickerin and the remainder to the first divider roll and the first divider roll to transfer substantially one-half of the thickness received by it directly to the second lickerin and the remainder to the second divider roll from which is is transferred directly to the second lickerin; whereby a thorough and uniform mixture of the fibres and a Web of uniform weight are secured with a minimum amount of working.

6. Carding apparatus for fibre composed wholly or principally of staple artificial fibre comprising the construction defined in claim 5, in which the stripper of the last worker and stripper unit in each of the cards is located after its worker and rotates in a direction opposite to that of the main cylinder and acts to raise the fibre from the main cylinder and enable it to be taken in loose form directly by the dofier cylinder.

SAMUEL FORBES ROCKWELL, JR. 

